NEW YORK/TORONTO (March 15, 2008) -- Anaheim Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger has been suspended for eight games, without pay, for acting carelessly and recklessly in an incident against the Vancouver Canucks in NHL Game #1062 on March 12.

Mr campbell quote : "Mr. Simon can state his opinion. Our job is to assess what we feel is fair and right. If Chris didn't do what he has done, he wouldn't need to complain about how we handle discipline."

Translation: Shut your piehole simon i can do what i want and just be glad your still getting a pay check ( because i allowed) it.

DETROIT -- Red Wings forward Darren McCarty made his season debut with Detroit on Friday night and was in the starting lineup against the St. Louis Blues.

Darren McCarty

McCarty

McCarty, 35, has dealt with personal issues and substance abuse in recent years. He played in the NHL last season with the Calgary Flames.

He began his comeback with the Flint Generals of the IHL in January and has been nursing rib injuries since the Red Wings recalled him March 7 from Grand Rapids of the AHL. He was assigned to Grand Rapids on a conditioning loan after being signed by Detroit last month to a one-year contract.

McCarty played for the Red Wings from 1993-04, helping the team win Stanley Cup titles in 1997 -- when he scored the winning goal against Philadelphia -- 1998 and 2002.

He was joined in the starting lineup Friday by familiar "Grind Line" linemates Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby.

TheHockeyNews.com has received exclusive confirmation from Canadian sports TV station TSN that the broadcaster will be bringing live coverage of the 2008 NHL Draft Lottery to its airwaves on Monday, April 7, the day following the conclusion of the regular season.

TSN will be dedicating a half-hour to the draft lottery at 8 p.m. EST as part of its three-hour playoff preview starting at 7 p.m.

The lottery will take place in-studio with NHL deputy-commissioner Bill Daly revealing the results live on-air. They will also be joined by projected No. 1 overall pick Steven Stamkos of the Sarnia Sting live via-satellite.

This is the first time the draft lottery has been aired live on television since the 'Crosby Draft' of 2005 and for only the second time in 13 years.

The lottery will also be simulcast live on the TSN.ca, NHL Network, NHL.com and Versus in the U.S.

DETROIT -- Red Wings forward Darren McCarty made his season debut with Detroit on Friday night and was in the starting lineup against the St. Louis Blues.

Darren McCarty

McCarty

McCarty, 35, has dealt with personal issues and substance abuse in recent years. He played in the NHL last season with the Calgary Flames.

He began his comeback with the Flint Generals of the IHL in January and has been nursing rib injuries since the Red Wings recalled him March 7 from Grand Rapids of the AHL. He was assigned to Grand Rapids on a conditioning loan after being signed by Detroit last month to a one-year contract.

McCarty played for the Red Wings from 1993-04, helping the team win Stanley Cup titles in 1997 -- when he scored the winning goal against Philadelphia -- 1998 and 2002.

He was joined in the starting lineup Friday by familiar "Grind Line" linemates Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby.

***

Good for McCarty...I always liked that ****er.

His birthday was yesterday...Explains a lot!

I dig the guy--he's a genuine character, not a cookie cutter, say the right thing, Sidney Crosby type. He's a permanent part of wing-lore, that's for sure.

NEW YORK/TORONTO – NHL Network has a marquee lineup of pre-Stanley Cup Playoffs programming with 13 hours of coverage from Sunday, April 6 to Tuesday, April 8, leading up to the start of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday, April 9. NHL Network will televise the special programming in both the U.S. and Canada.

Sunday features three editions of NHL On The Fly and two Pacific Division tilts featuring three playoff-bound teams:

At 3 p.m. ET, the NHL’s hottest team, the San Jose Sharks, travels to Dallas to take on the Stars. The Sharks have won 18 of their last 21 games, earning 38 of a possible 42 points during that stretch.

At 8 p.m. ET, the Phoenix Coyotes and Kyle Turris, the third overall selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft who will be playing in just his third game for the team, visit the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks continue their quest to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

On Monday, NHL Network presents three hours of pre-Playoffs programming airing simultaneously in Canada on TSN and TSN.ca. The action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET with McGuire’s Monsters, followed by the Fantasy Draft Special at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery Special at 8 p.m. ET, where NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly will reveal which team will select first overall in the 2008 Draft. At 8:30 p.m. ET, it’s the 90-minute NHL on TSN Playoff Preview Special with in-depth analysis of each playoff series.

Tuesday, the eve of the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, NHL Network will produce and televise NHL On The Fly: Playoff Preview as host Dan Pollard and analysts Gary Green and Dave Reid preview all eight playoff series and offer their Playoffs predictions.

In the U.S., NHL Network is available through a free-preview beginning Friday, April 4 and lasting through Friday, April 11 through select cable providers and on DirecTV channel 215. Please contact your local cable provider for more information.

*
It won't be all rest and relaxation this off-season for some Blackhawks.

Four Hawks — Patrick Kane, James Wisniewski, Dustin Byfuglien and Adam Burish — have been contacted about possibly playing for the U.S. team in the world championships May 2-18 in Quebec City and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Kane, of Buffalo, and Wisniewski, of Canton, Mich., have been involved in international competition for the United States at different levels.

Byfuglien, of Minneapolis, and Burish, of Madison, Wis., have yet to represent their country.

"Anytime you can play for your country with your nation's flag on your jersey, it's always an honor," Wisniewski said. "Hopefully I can keep it going and maybe make the Olympics."

Team USA, coached by John Tortorella, will have a training camp April 24-30 in Portland, Maine, including a pre-tournament game against Sweden on April 27.

The roster is not set, but Kane and Wisniewski have good chances at making the team, while Byfuglien and Burish will get a look.

"It was just more of, 'Your name is in the hat, just to let you know that,' " Burish said of his meeting with a Team USA representative. "That in itself is pretty neat. That's something I would never have expected.

" 'We know who you are and your name is in our system' is pretty neat for me. I've never had any experience playing with the USA team. I would love to do that. It would be pretty special."

Team Canada, coached by Ken Hitchcock, hasn't contacted players yet, but Hawks potentially in the mix could be Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Patrick Sharp of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Brent Seabrook of Richmond, British Columbia.

Numbers game
Kane has won the NHL's rookie scoring race over Washington's Nicklas Backstrom.

Kane took a three-point lead Friday night with a goal and two assists in the Hawks' 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Backstrom, who has 14 goals and 55 assists, had just one assist in his season finale Saturday night against Florida.

"Now that the playoffs are out of the way, you think about it a little bit," Kane said before Backstrom took the ice. "It would be a nice statement to make coming in as a first-year player, not even knowing if you're going to make the team, and to be a top offensive guy on a team."

Kane has 20 goals and 51 assists going into Sunday's finale in Detroit..

Last stand?
Veteran goaltender Patrick Lalime, who is an unrestricted free agent, isn't sure what his future with the team is with Nikolai Khabibulin under contract for next season and rookie Corey Crawford ready to make the step to the NHL.

"It's out of my hands," Lalime said of his status. "I've had a lot of fun here. It's a great place to play. We'll see."

Hawks coach Denis Savard has praised Lalime for helping turn the Hawks' season around while Khabibulin was sidelined with a back injury. Lalime has a 15-12-2 record, including Friday night's victory over the Predators, and 2.88 goals-against average.